Air-permeable bra cups

ABSTRACT

A bra includes two convex cups and each cup includes an inner layer, an outer layer and an intermediate part securely sandwiched between the inner layer and the outer layer. The intermediate part includes a plurality of wool fibers which are arranged to be a wave-shaped wool sheet which includes adjacent upright portions which are connected side by side. A fabric made of non-woven material is connected to the underside of the wave-shaped wool fibers sheet. A top and the underside including the fabric are removed by two blades so as to form a wool sheet without gaps between the upright portions and air can easily pass through the wool fibers.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a Continuation-in-Part Patent Application of patent application Ser. No. 11/526,619 filed on 26 Sep. 2006, currently pending.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional cups of bras generally include an intermediate part which is sandwiched between an inner layer and an outer layer so as to form a supportive structure for supporting the users' breasts. The intermediate part is generally made by foam material, non-woven material or khaki cloth. The foam material can not maintain its shape and is easily deformed after being washed. The foam material also has less air permeability which makes the user feel uncomfortable. The non-woven material is composed of sheet of long fiber and a chemical coating is coated on surface of the non-woven material. Although the non-woven material has better support feature, it is stiff and can be formed with permanent concaves after being washed. Besides, the chemical coating reduces the air permeability and might be harm to the users' skin. Khaki material has better air permeability and flexibility when compared with foam material and non-woven material, but Khaki material can only be made to be a thin sheet which cannot meet requirements of the markets.

The present invention intends to provide an improved bra cup structure which has good air permeability and flexibility and is not deformed after being washed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a cup structure for a bra, and the cup structure comprises an inner layer, an outer layer and an intermediate part which is securely sandwiched between the inner layer and the outer layer. The intermediate part comprises a plurality of wool fibers which are arranged to be a wave-shaped wool sheet. The continuous wave-shaped wool sheet includes upright portions and bent portions, the adjacent upright portions of the wave-shaped fibers are connected to each other.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a cup structure for a bra wherein the bra structure includes an intermediate part sandwiched between an inner layer and an outer layer. The intermediate part is soft, flexible and air permeable.

The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of the cup structure of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows the wool sheet of the intermediate part of the cup structure of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows that the upright portions of the wool sheet are connected with each other side by side;

FIG. 4 shows that a top and a bottom of the wool sheet are removed to form the intermediate part;

FIG. 5 shows that the intermediate part is air permeable, and

FIG. 6 shows that a flexible part is connected between the two layers of the intermediate parts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, each of two cups 1 for a bra of the present invention is a convex cup shape and comprises an inner layer 2, an outer layer 3 and an intermediate part 4 securely sandwiched between the inner layer 2 and the outer layer 3. The inner layer 2 and the outer layer 3 are made by non-woven material. The intermediate part 4 comprises a plurality of wool fibers 41 which are arranged to be a wave-shaped wool sheet. The wave-shaped wool sheet includes upright portions and bent portions as shown in FIG. 2. A fabric 42 of non-woven material is connected to an underside of the wool sheet so as to ensure that the wool sheet is well positioned on the fabric 42. The wool sheet is put in an oven and heated at 130° C. and two forces are applied to the wool sheet as shown in FIG. 2 to allow the adjacent upright portions of the wool sheet to be fused and connected to each other. The temperature melts the outer surface of the wool fibers 41 so that the adjacent upright portions can be attached to each other as shown in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 4, a top and an underside including the fabric 42 of the wool sheet as shown in FIG. 3 are removed by two blades (not shown) so as to obtain the intermediate part 4 with well structured wool fibers 41. It is noted that the wool fibers 41 in the wool sheet are air-permeable material, although the upright portions are fused to each other, air can easily pass through the rest portions of the wool fibers 41. The inner layer 2 and the outer layer 3 are connected to the top and the underside of the wool sheet so that air can pass throughout the cap as shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the cup 1 of the present invention, wherein each cup 1 includes two layers of the intermediate parts 4 and a flexible part 5 is connected between the two layers of the intermediate parts 4. The cup 1 of the present invention can be made to be as thick as 3-5 cm which is 10 times of the thickness of the conventional cups made by Khaki material. The cup 1 of the present invention provides better support to the users' breasts and the shape of the cups can be quickly re-formed after being compressed or washed.

While we have shown and described the embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. 

1. A cup of a bra, comprising: a convex shape cup including an inner layer, an outer layer and an intermediate part securely sandwiched between the inner layer and the outer layer, the intermediate part comprising a plurality of wool fibers which are arranged to be a wave-shaped wool sheet, the wave-shaped wool sheet including upright portions and bent portions, the adjacent upright portions of the wave-shaped wool sheet being connected to each other.
 2. The cup as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adjacent upright portions of the wool sheet are fused at 130° C.
 3. The cup as claimed in claim 1, wherein each cup includes two layers of the intermediate parts and a flexible part is connected between the two layers of the intermediate parts.
 4. The cup as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner layer and the outer layer are made by non-woven material. 